Accepting Jesse
by webbswoman
Summary: Mark struggles to accept Steve's relationship with Jesse. Slash. Written for a DM prompt challenge.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This was written for the prompt: **Mark doesn't approve of Jesse and Steve's relationship and how they deal with it. No evil Marks! He's okay with gays, just as long as it's not his son. The whole "not in my backyard" kind of thing. He eventually comes around, but it takes time and effort.

**Thanks, as always, go to Rose.**

Chapter One

Steve should have known that he'd find Jesse at the hospital. The doctor was rushing from patient to patient in the packed ER; to anyone else he probably seemed like his usual self – energetic, enthusiastic, happy. But Steve could see the shadows underneath his eyes; the way Jesse's smile wasn't as genuine as it usually was.

Pushing himself off the doorframe on which he'd been leaning, Steve made his way over to Jesse and waited for him to finish with his patient. He frowned when he saw Jesse's hands shake as he added something to his notes.

"Jesse."

Jesse turned, appeared to see the determined look on Steve's face and began to follow him as he led the way out of the hospital. They walked in silence until they reached the parking lot.

"C'mon Jess, get in, we'll drive somewhere." Steve slid into the driver's seat of his truck, watching while Jesse got comfortable.

"Can we – I mean, just don't drive anywhere yet, I need a – I need some time." Jesse leant against the window, closing his eyes.

"Take as long as you need."

The next few minutes dragged on. Outside, people were talking, shouting, rushing into the hospital. But inside the truck it was silent, apart from the sound of Jesse breathing; shaky and fast. Steve watched as Jesse raised a hand to his forehead, caught the way he still couldn't keep it from shaking.

"He hates me." Jesse looked at Steve, blue eyes filled with misery.

"No. It's not you. Don't ever think that."

"Steve, I _know, _okay. He hates me. You don't need to pretend. He's – he's always been fine with this kind of thing, I mean why would he – it's me."

"No." Steve reached over, touched Jesse's hand. "It's _him_, Jess. He can't handle the fact that I'm gay. It's probably just going to take him some time to process it. I mean he's not, he's never been, homophobic. But Jess, it's not you. He thinks the world of you-"

"Thought. He thought the world of me. Now he just hates me. Thinks I'm not good enough for you, maybe he's-"

"Don't you dare say he's right, that's not true, you're my best friend, Jesse, there's no-one I'd rather be with."

"Oh God, I wish you hadn't said that, makes this so much harder." Jesse bit down on his lip.

"What?"

"I – I can't come between you and Mark, so I'm just going to – I'm, it's over. I'm sorry."

DMDMDMDM

Jesse threw his favourite sweats into the travel bag and pulled at the zipper impatiently. He had to get away, had to go before Steve caught up with him. He only had one thing left to do. Picking up the phone he hit the speed dial button and listened to it ring once, twice, three times.

"Hello, Amanda Bentley speaking."

"It's me. I need to-"

"Oh, hey, Jess, I'm glad you called, I wanted to-"

"I'm leaving."

"What?"

"I'm – I'm leaving. I have to."

"Why?"

Jesse turned to look at the picture on his bed; him and Steve at Barbeque Bob's.

"For him."

"Jesse, what are-"

"Say bye to the boys for me, and tell Mark I'm sorry. I'll call you when I get there."

"Get where? Where are you going to go? Your job is here, Jesse. Your friends are here."

"I can't tell you. Steve. I don't want him to know. Bye Amanda."

Jesse put the phone down and wiped at his eyes.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Jesse jumped at the harsh voice; Steve was glaring at him when he turned around.

"I can't believe you. You really think running away is the answer. You're really going to hurt yourself – hurt me – just because Dad doesn't like our relationship. Y'know, I thought you cared about me more than that." Steve was steadily getting closer and closer to him, using his height to crowd Jesse in against the wall.

"I do. I do care for you, I love you. It's why – I have to go."

"No, that's why you have to stay. Jesse, we'll sort it out, okay. We'll make Dad see sense. And even if he doesn't, I'm not going to let you throw us away. We'll deal with it together. Okay?"

Steve drew Jesse towards him, refusing to let the younger man pull away. A few minutes passed and Steve began to get worried, what if Jesse wasn't listening to him. Then he felt Jesse nod. And then the sobbing began.

DMDMDMDM

Steve woke up alone. He reached over to pull Jesse close, only to encounter a cold, empty space where his partner should have been.

"No. No, no, no, no." Steve pushed himself up out of the bed, climbing into his jeans as he stumbled his way across the bedroom.

Jesse had gone, he'd bolted, Steve's words hadn't got through to him after all, and Jesse was – Jesse was standing at the kitchen counter, pouring over a recipe book.

"Steve, do you want – what's the matter?" Jesse turned around, swamped in an old shirt of Steve's.

"I thought – it doesn't matter. Morning, baby." Steve pulled Jesse into his arms, smiled as the doctor hummed contentedly. "No cooking for you this morning. It's your day off. How about we head to Bob's?"

"Sounds good. Can I have the special pancakes?"

"Course, baby. With extra chocolate sauce. C'mon, shower." He reached down and took Jesse's hand, pulling him towards the bathroom.

"Hmm, love it when you get all bossy, Officer."

"Keep talking like that and we might not even make it out the front door."

DMDMDMDM

Jesse ate his pancakes as Steve watched him over a cup of strong coffee. They were sitting in their favourite spot at BBQ Bob's. The place was quiet; the only other diners were a few of the regulars that Steve knew well.

"You want some?" Jesse held out a forkful of his breakfast.

"Thanks, but I'm not that hungry, you have it."

The younger man nodded, slipping the forkful of food into his mouth. Chocolate sauce smeared on his chin, and Steve was quick to reach forward and wipe it away with his thumb. Jesse grinned at him, blushing ever so slightly and Steve laughed at him, realising something. Before he could stop himself he'd blurted it out.

"Jesse, move in with me."

Steve leapt up as Jesse began to cough and splutter, choking on his food. When he was sure Jesse was okay, he sat back down and watched apprehensively as his partner processed what was going on.

"Did you really just ask me to move in with you?"

"Yes."

"Oh. That's – I – yes." Jesse nodded.

"What?"

Jesse reached over, grabbing Steve's hand. "Yes, I'd love to live with you. Although, really, you should probably move in with me. I mean, Mark's – mmph." Jesse was cut off as Steve's mouth covered his own. Wolf whistles that normally would have embarrassed him came from the direction of his employees but, instead of stopping, Jesse just stuck his thumb up and lost himself in the kiss.

DMDMDMDM

Jesse had been pacing up and down Steve's bedroom for the best part of an hour while Steve gathered some of his most essential and important possessions.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, Jesse, I am sure that I want to move in with you. Stop freaking out." Steve didn't even look up as he tried to force the zipper on his bag closed.

"But this is like - it could be the final straw with Mark. What if he stops talking to you all together?"

"Then that's his problem and he'll be the one left alone. Look, it's not like he's said he hates me or anything. He's just struggling to understand. He'll come around and, when he does, me and you can look for a bigger place together, maybe here at the beach."

Jesse nodded, then sat down on the bed and began to fold some of Steve's clothes. The two men worked in silence for the next half an hour until the room was nearly empty, furniture the only things remaining.

"We make a pretty good team, don't we?" Steve wrapped an arm around Jesse's waist, reeling him in for a kiss.

"A good team doing – what?" Mark was stood in the doorway, looking around his son's room. "Where are all your things, Steve?"

"I – Dad, I wanted to tell you before you saw. I'm moving out. It's time I did, I've been living here too long; I need my own place, closer to the precinct."

Mark was silent for a moment, glancing between Steve and Jesse, who had jumped away from each other when Mark had spoken. "You're moving in with Jesse? Isn't that a bit soon?"

"Yeah, I'm moving in with him. And we've known each other for years. We've been going out for six months, it's not like we don't know each other. I'd really like it if you could be happy for us." As Steve spoke, he reached out and took Jesse's hand, pulling the smaller man closer to him.

"I can't do that. I can't watch while the two of you hurt each other. It's not right."

"It's not right? You don't have a problem with Chris and Sam along the beach, so why are we wrong?"

"Steve, you're both straight; you were married, Jesse was engaged to Susan. The two of you are confused; I'm not going to encourage that."

"Mark, those relationships didn't work out. Surely that tells you something?" Jesse spoke up for the first time, softly but with conviction.

"It tells me that neither of you are good at commitment; it tells me that I'm going to have to pick up the pieces when my son has been hurt all over again by someone who used to be his best friend."

"Jess, can you go and wait in the car, please?"

Jesse nodded, squeezed Steve's hand and then headed up the stairs. Once he was out of earshot, Steve turned to his father, a thunderous look on his face.

"Don't ever talk to Jesse like that again. He thinks the world of you, thinks of you as a father, and every time you say something like that, he hurts. Dad, I know you're worried, but Jesse and I, we're going to last. I've never been surer of anything."

"Son, I don't want to hurt Jesse. But I don't want him to hurt you. We're still going to – you're still going to keep in touch?" Mark reached out to clasp Steve's shoulder, recoiled when his son moved away.

"I'm not going far, Dad. We're still family. But I need to live somewhere where I can be myself with Jesse. Please, for me, please try and understand, try and accept this. We don't want to lose you."

"I'll try."

"Then we'll see you soon. Call me if you need anything."

DMDMDMDM

The smell of hot chocolate woke Steve from a peaceful sleep. He glanced at the alarm, frowning when he saw how late in the morning it was. Groaning, he made his way into the kitchen and smiled when he saw Jesse, head slumped on the kitchen table, snoring softly.

Steve moved the mug away from Jesse's hand, not wanting him to accidentally knock it over. His own mug was on the kitchen counter, and he picked it up before sitting down opposite his partner, settling down to watch him sleep.

They'd been officially living together for a week, but Jesse had been working double shifts and they hadn't had much of a chance to spend time together except from when they were moving all of Steve's things in. Now, on Jesse's day off, Steve was planning on spoiling him. He'd already booked a table at Jesse's favourite restaurant for lunch.

The phone rang, and Steve set his mug down on the table, hurrying to answer it before it woke Jesse.

"Sloan."

"We need you at work, there's a big operation going down today. Sorry, Steve, I know you had plans."

"I'll be there soon." Steve put the phone down, wondering how to break the news to Jesse.

"Work?"

Steve turned and saw a sleepy looking Jesse, his hair mussed up and his freckles standing out against his pale skin. "Baby, I'm so sorry, today was supposed to-"

"Steve, it's fine. Not your fault, 'kay?"

"Hmm. You should still go for lunch, take Amanda or Rick." Steve went to stand behind Jesse and dropped a kiss on the top of his head.

"I think I'll give Rick a call, it's ages since we caught up. You'll be careful?"

"Course I will. I'll be home as early as I can." He grabbed his jacket and holster, putting them on before leaning down for a final kiss from Jesse. "Love you."

DMDMDMDM

Jesse sat, curled up in a jumper of Steve's, staring at the door. He'd left the lights off, hoping that he'd be able to doze, but sleep just didn't seem to be on his agenda. The volume on the television was low, but Jesse was able to make out the words the newsreader was saying; no mention of the police, no crashes, and the traffic, if anything, was running smoother than usual. He glanced at the phone, wondering whether to phone the station, but stopped himself. Steve was only an hour later; he was probably just busy with a case.

He leant forward, picking up a well used medical encyclopaedia and began to leaf through it. He'd had a patient in earlier, and something about the diagnosis was bothering him. The phone rang, making him jump, and he leapt for it, eager to hear his lover's voice.

"Hello."

"Jesse, I need you to come into the hospital."

"Mark, you're kidding, I've just finished a double shift, I'm back in at lunch tomorrow and-"

"It's not work, Jesse. Steve-"

"No, he's – what's happened?" Jesse stood up, stuffing his feet into his sneakers.

"He's been – Steve's been shot."

DMDMDMDM

Getting to the hospital took forever. By the time he'd fought his way through the traffic Jesse was a nervous wreck. He'd had way too long to think about the situation and was imagining all of the worst scenarios. He pulled his car to a stop, not caring that it was taking up two parking spaces, and ran into the ER.

The other doctors looked around at him as he searched frantically for his partner. There was no sign of him and Jesse assumed the worst.

"Marie, where's – which operating theatre, is he in? Or - no, he's not, can't be."

The nurse hadn't even opened her mouth to reply before Jesse had moved away, and grabbed at a pile of notes. He scanned for Steve's name, becoming more and more agitated when he couldn't find it. A hand fell onto his shoulder, and he shrugged it off, only to feel it being replaced again.

"Look, I-"

"Jess."

Jesse span around, took in the sight of Steve, arm in a sling but otherwise okay, and leapt at his partner.

"Whoa, watch the arm," Steve wrapped his good arm around the doctor, frowning when he felt the shaking, "Hey, it's okay, I'm here, I'm fine."

"M'sorry."

"It's okay, baby, nothing to be sorry for."

"Hurt your arm." Jesse mumbled.

"No, you didn't."

"Thought you were – thought you'd left me." Jesse burrowed his face in Steve's shoulder.

"I'm still here, Jess. Never going to leave you." Steve dropped a kiss on the top of Jesse's head in his familiar gesture.

"Promise?"

"Yeah. I promise, baby."

DMDMDMDM

"Now, make sure he takes his pain meds, he's stubborn so-"

"Mark, I know, it's fine. I'll look after him." Jesse took the prescription from Mark, smiling slightly at the man's protectiveness.

"He will. Seriously, Dad, two days of Mother Hen Jesse looking after me and I'll be begging you to admit me to hospital. Oof. Jesse!"

"Don't call me a Mother Hen, and I won't elbow you."

"Boys. This is important. Now, Jesse, if you need any help looking after him, just call me. Steve, be a good patient for Jesse, take your medication and don't overwork that arm too soon."

"Okay. Thanks, Dad. You should come over for lunch tomorrow, Amanda's-"

"I can't make it tomorrow," Mark glanced at Jesse, who had a crestfallen look on his face. "Some other time, maybe."

"That would be good, Mark. It's ages since we've all been together."

Mark didn't answer, just nodded curtly and waved as he walked away.

DMDMDMDM

Jesse traced his fingers over Steve's face, being careful not to wake his older lover. It was four days since Steve had been shot, and the detective had bounced back. The flesh wound just beneath his shoulder was healing up well and he'd be able to go back to work in a week or so, he was already back to heavy lifting. Jesse, however, was still waking up with nightmares about what might have happened if his partner hadn't of been so lucky.

He glanced over at the clock; it was only six am. Sighing, Jesse lay back down, avoiding knocking Steve's shoulder. He'd have to stay in bed for a while yet, if he got up this early Steve would worry.

In his mind he began to run through all of the plans he had for Christmas. It would be their first Christmas together, and Jesse wanted it to be special. As a child, the occasion had been memorable, but not for good reasons. His Mom had almost always volunteered for shifts at the hospital, and Jesse had been left with various doctors. It wasn't until he'd moved to LA that he'd discovered that Christmases with family and laughter and happiness did exist.

DMDMDMDM

Later the same morning Jesse made Steve breakfast in bed, helped him get showered and dressed and then set out for the shops. He returned laden with bags full of presents to find both Mark and Amanda sitting talking to Steve.

"Hi everyone. Don't look." Jesse hurried into the bedroom to hide his shopping. It was only when he stepped back out into the living room that he saw the angry look on Steve's face. "Steve?"

"Dad was just leaving." Steve glared at his father.

"Steve, please, just listen to what I'm saying here."

"What? Listen to you insult Jesse? Listen to you tell me I can't bring the man that I love to Christmas? I'm not going to listen to that. Get out." Steve stood up, heading over to the door and opening it.

"Christmas?" Jesse slumped down onto the couch.

Steve turned to Amanda, "How about you?"

"You know I don't have a problem with you two." Amanda looked worriedly at Jesse as she spoke.

"Are you spending Christmas at the beach, with _him_?"

"Well, yes, we are. But, Steve-"

"Then you can get out too. Enjoy your Christmas, we'll enjoy ours."

Amanda looked like she wanted to say something else, but Mark shook his head and gestured for her to follow him. Steve slammed the door behind them, turned and grimaced when he saw how upset Jesse was. In three long strides he was by his lover's side.

"Jess," Steve pulled the smaller man towards him, shook his head as he felt Jesse shake, "It's okay. We've got each other, Christmas is still going to be great, we'll have it here, just the two of us." Steve continued to talk, low and comforting, until Jesse's sobs subsided.

"They're our family, Steve," it was barely a whisper, "I don't understand. Why are we wrong?"

"We aren't, baby. They are. _He_ is."

The both sat in a silence that was only broken by the sound of Jesse's soft snoring as he fell asleep. Steve sighed, brushing Jesse's hair out of his eyes and wished, not for the first time, that life could just be simple.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

It was still dark when Jesse woke up, sweating and gasping for air. The room was empty and he scrambled up from the bed, only relaxing when he caught sight of the note on the dresser. The panic subsided and was replaced by relief; Steve hadn't witnessed his bad dream. Glancing at the clock, he realised that it had only been an hour or so since he had last woken up.

Jesse grabbed the nearest jumper and pulled it on, smiling to himself as he smelt Steve's aftershave on the warm fabric. He reached out for the letter, holding it under the lamp so that he could read Steve's scrawl.

_Jesse,_

_Get back into bed and stay there until I come back. It'll be worth the wait. Trust me._

_Merry Christmas._

_Steve_

Shaking his head, Jesse climbed back under the covers and grabbed the novel he was reading. But, before he could start reading, the bedroom door opened. He looked up and burst into laughter at the sight of his lover - the big, bad police detective - in a Santa hat.

"Happy Christmas, Jess." Steve strode over to the bed, reached down and, in one swift movement, pulled Jesse into his arms.

"What – What're you doing?"

"Taking you into the kitchen."

"I can walk, you know." Jesse grinned against Steve's shoulder as they made their way through the living room.

"I know. You hungry?" Steve stopped at the door to their small kitchenette and nudged it open with his foot.

"Oh." Jesse gaped at the feast before him. Plates heaped with pancakes, waffles covered with syrup and a big pile of bacon. "It's – I mean – I'm hungry."

"Good." Steve lowered Jesse into a chair, "tuck in."

DMDMDMDM

Once he'd finished his breakfast Jesse headed upstairs to get ready, leaving Steve to talk to his father on the phone. Jesse pulled his favourite pair of jeans on then crossed over to his drawers to find a shirt. He pulled the top draw open and found his first present of the day. Two tickets to a Garth Brooks concert lay on top of a cowboy hat, along with a note telling him where Steve had put his shirts.

Still only in socks, Jesse skidded through the apartment towards the kitchen. He pulled Steve away from where he was stacking breakfast dishes and pulled him in for a gentle kiss.

"Thank you."

"The smile on your face right now is thank you enough. You want to go finish getting ready?"

"Yep, in a minute. Mark okay?"

"I think so. He's – Amanda's spending Christmas with her parents."

"What? He's alone? That's not-" Jesse began pacing up and down the kitchen.

"I know. But he made the decision. He's pushed us away so now he's alone."

Jesse stopped his pacing and leant against Steve. "He still deserves better."

"I know. Look, there's nothing we can do about it now. Can we just enjoy our day? Please?"

Jesse nodded against Steve's chest, squealed as he was once again swept up into Steve's arms.

"Where are you taking me now?" Jesse placed a light kiss to Steve's neck.

"Bedroom, if that's alright with you."

"No complaints here."

DMDMDMDM

They resurfaced in time for Jesse to throw together a simple lunch; they'd decided not to have a traditional Christmas meal so that they could spend more of the day together. While they ate, Steve talked about past Christmases with his family growing up and Jesse told Steve that he missed the Chicago snow and that they'd make more memories together.

The rest of the day went quickly. They swapped more presents – a new surf board for Jesse and a chess set and a book on trains for Steve. After their evening meal they settled in to watch a film, Jesse pressed into Steve's side. They were about half way through the film when the door bell rang.

Groaning, Jesse pushed himself up and headed over to the door. He pulled it open and smiled when he saw Mark.

"Happy Christmas! Come on in, there's some eggnog in the kitchen, and your presents around here somewhere." Jesse began to walk back into the apartment, "You should see what Steve got me, it's so awesome."

Mark stayed where he was, eyes fixed on his son. "Steve, come home."

"I'll, um,-" Jesse made his way into their bedroom, wanting to give Steve and Mark some privacy. He closed the door and leant back against it, squeezing his eyes shut as Steve's voice began to get louder. He drew in a shaky breath when he heard Mark telling Steve he was making a mistake. A few minutes later Jesse heard the door close, followed closely by the sounds of Steve pacing and cursing.

"Steve?" When Jesse went back out into the living room could see how tense his partner's shoulders were, "c'mon, come and lie down. Please."

Steve nodded, "I'll be in soon, just give me a moment."

Jesse padded back into the bedroom and began stripping off his clothes. As he did so his eyes fell onto the picture Amanda had taken on his birthday. They'd all been at Bob's, before Mark had found out about his relationship with Steve, and Amanda had snapped the photo of Jesse with the Sloans. They looked like family.

Sighing, Jesse climbed into bed and rolled over on his side. Sometimes, the best thing he could do for Steve was give him some space to work through things. His partner would come to him when he was ready. A few minutes later he felt Steve move in behind him. Strong arms wrapped around him, one hand resting possessively on his hip.

"Love you, baby." Steve ran his foot up Jesse's leg.

"You too. Thank you – for today I mean."

"Hmm. Night."

It didn't take Steve long to get to sleep. It never did. Jesse lay awake, listening to the Steve's soft snoring.

He didn't want to sleep, didn't want to dream.

DMDMDMDM

Steve punched the numbers into his calculator, jotting the total down in the book. It was well after closing time at BBQ Bobs and he was doing some much overdue paperwork. Frowning, he glanced up at the door; Jesse was over an hour late. The doctor had spent the day with Rick, but he'd promised to be back in time to help out with the paperwork. Throwing his pen down on the counter, Steve stood up and grabbed his jacket. It wasn't like Jesse to be late for anything.

There was still a huge pile of dishes waiting to be stacked, but Steve ignored them as he turned off the lights and left the building. His truck was parked out the back and he hurried over to it, starting to feel more and more anxious. Surely Jesse would have called him if there was a change of plan?

The roads were quiet as he drove home but the journey still took too long. About ten minutes after he'd left BBQ Bobs he turned his police radio on, listening out for any emergencies that Jesse could be caught up in; there was an armed robbery in progress over near the beach, there'd been a car accident outside the precinct and a fire at a music store. Steve cursed and almost turned the truck around; Jesse had told him there were some new bands he wanted to listen to. He shook his head and kept driving towards home; the chances that Jesse had chosen to go to the store today were slim.

He took the steps up to their apartment two at a time, pulling out his key as he went. He pushed the door open, didn't other to check if it clicked shut behind him as he moved through the apartment. The kitchen was empty and Steve ran a hand through his hair as he headed towards his bedroom. The door opened as he reached it and he was greeted by Jesse's smiling face.

"Thank God," Steve pulled Jesse towards him, "Where were you? I thought – and the store – and-"

"Hey, calm down, I'm fine. I've been here the whole time. I mean, where else would I – oh, Bob's. "

"Yeah. I've been waiting for you. The accounts are all done now, no thanks to you." Steve let go of Jesse and walked past him into the bedroom.

"I'm sorry, okay. I just forgot, I-"

"Forgot what? That you were supposed to be meeting me? That you've got responsibilities? That-" Steve took in the sight of the rumpled bed covers, "Have you been asleep?"

"Rick had to leave early; I was tired so I came back here for a bit."

"So you let me down because you were sleeping? You know, Jesse, you're not the only one with a demanding job. I'm tired too but I still have to do other things."

"I-"

"You know, I don't think I want to be here right now. Not when you're being selfish." Steve strode back through the apartment, ignoring Jesse's attempts to stop him, and left, slamming the door behind him.

Jesse stood, looking at the back of the door, wondering how things had escalated so fast. Sure, they'd argued before, but Steve had never walked out on him, never refused to listen to his side of the story.

After a few hours of sitting up waiting for Steve to come home, Jesse realised that it wasn't going to happen. He dialled Steve's cell one more time, sighing when he heard the answer phone kick in once again. He wasn't going to leave yet another message, not when he hadn't done anything wrong.

In his bedroom, he set the alarm for the next morning, knowing that he was probably going to be awake in time anyway. The bed was cold as Jesse fell into a fitful and nightmare filled sleep.

DMDMDMDM

Making sure to close the door quietly behind him, Steve made his way into the apartment. It was still very early in the morning; he didn't want to wake Jesse. Last night had been strange; he'd arrived at the beach house ready to receive words of support from his father. Instead, he'd been given a lecture about being petty and then he'd been told to go home and make things right.

It was over a month since Christmas and, in all that time, his father still hadn't given the two of them his blessing. For him to turn around and actually encourage Steve to make up with Jesse had come as a shock.

Steve set his keys down on the table and started to sit down, then stopped. He thought he'd heard something. The sound echoed through the apartment again, a soft whimper, but this time it was followed by a loud, heart-wrenching, scream.

He hurried into the bedroom in time to see Jesse kicking at the bed covers. His young partner was covered with sweat, tossing and turning as he continued to make distressed noises. In two long strides Steve was by the bed, leaning down to soothe his lover.

"Jess, baby, wake up. It's just a dream." Steve recoiled when Jesse's hand flew out and caught him in the eye. "Jess, come on, it's just a dream. You're okay, you're safe, I'm here."

Jesse's eyes flew open and he began to look around the room, searching wildly for something that wasn't there. Reassured that the threat from his dreams wasn't real he looked back at Steve, biting his lip.

"You with me now?" Steve lay down on the bed beside Jesse, pulling the smaller man into his side and wincing when he felt how hot he was.

"You're here. Why? I mean, you left, and now you're here."

"I'm never leaving again, I promise." Steve tightened his hold.

"You promised last time too."

The words were nothing more that a whisper, but Steve heard the hurt loud and clear.

"I'm sorry, I just – when you weren't at Bobs I got scared. I though something had happened to you. When I realised you'd just been asleep I took it out on you. I shouldn't have done that."

"Oh, s'okay. I should've called you. Did you go home? I bet Mark hates me now."

"Actually, he was the one that made me see sense. Told me if I gave up on us as easily as that then I was stupid." Steve chuckled at the confused look that passed over Jesse's face.

"But, he's – why would he? He doesn't want you to be with me. I don't get it."

"Neither did I, but I think I do now. It's not just me he doesn't want to see hurt. He cares about you too. I guess he's realised that we're serious about making this work."

"Hmmm. That's good, maybe next Christmas we'll all be together." Jesse reached for Steve's hand, gave it a squeeze.

"Maybe. Hey, I'm sorry for making you have a bad dream."

"Not your fault. C'mon, sleep." Jesse yawned, rubbed his hand over his eyes.

"Alright. Night."

Jesse closed his eyes, knowing full well that he wasn't going to get back to sleep.

DMDMDMDM

Jesse shoved his scrubs inside the locker and closed the door, glad that it was the end of his shift. Over the last week Steve had been on night shifts and, without him there, Jesse had been sleeping worse than ever. The tiredness was beginning to affect his work, he was going to have to do something to stop the nightmares, maybe take some pills. Someone coughed behind him and Jesse turned to speak, stopping when he saw Mark standing in the doorway.

"Did you and Steve get everything sorted?" Mark walked further into the room, placed a hand on Jesse's arm.

"Yeah, we're all good. Thank you. For sending him back, I mean. I know you don't agree with us, and you could probably think of lots of other people you'd rather see your son with, so I really appreciate that, you know, you helped us because-"

"Jesse, breathe," Mark smiled fondly. "It's okay, really. There's no need to say thank you. Me sending Steve home? That's the least you deserved, especially after I ruined your Christmas. I – I've been behaving like a selfish old man, and I want you to know that I'm going to try to change."

"What?"

"I'm not saying I'm happy about the two of you. But, if it's what you want, what Steve wants, I think I can accept it. I just wish I'd told you this sooner, instead of being so stubborn. I don't think I realised how _nasty _I was being until Steve showed up, devastated, last night."

"Mark, that's, that's great! Thank you. It means a lot."

"Good. Now, are you gonna tell me why you're not sleeping?"

Jesse bit his lip, considered lying and then saw the look on Mark's face. Nodding, he opened his mouth and the whole story came pouring out.

DMDMDMDM

BBQ Bobs was empty when Jesse walked inside; it was early and the evening rush hadn't started yet. He smiled when he caught sight of Steve, apron on, frowning as he concentrated on stirring a sauce. When he saw Jesse, though, he left the pan immediately, crossing over to pull his partner into a hug.

"Hello there, Doctor Travis."

"Detective." Jesse smiled, standing up on his toes to press his lips softly to Steve's. "I need to tell you something." He pulled back a little, running his tongue over his lips.

"Okay, sounds ominous. Wait a minute." Steve walked over to the door, flipping the closed sign so it was on show. After pulling the blinds he walked back over, taking Jesse by the hand and leading him to a booth. Then he waited.

"I, um, should have told you this before now. I – last night, when I had the nightmare. It wasn't, the nightmare wasn't because of the argument. I've been having them for weeks, ever since you were shot." Jesse picked at the hem of his shirt as he spoke, afraid to meet Steve's eyes. He looked up in surprise as he felt strong arms wrap around him.

"You should have told me, you're right, but I should have realised as well. That's why you've been so tired lately right? Why you fell asleep when you were supposed to come here?"

Jesse nodded.

"That makes the way I shouted at you yesterday even worse. Hey," Steve cupped Jesse's chin gently, "Promise me that you'll wake me up next time if I don't hear you."

"Okay."

"We'll deal with this, okay, together. Now that I know there's a problem we can make it better."

"That sounds good."

"So, what made you tell me now?" Steve settled back in the booth.

"Mark. He, we spoke earlier today." Jesse smiled, "He apologised, said he wanted us all to be a family again."

Steve's eyes widened, Jesse nodded, and their lips met in a deep kiss. Steve tangled his hand through Jesse's hair as their tongues fought for control.

"Come on," Steve pulled away, taking Jesse's hand in his, "Let's go home."


	3. Chapter 3

Epilogue

Steve sat back in his chair, taking a long swig of his beer as he watched Jesse helping CJ with his new game. In the kitchen, his father and Amanda were busy cooking what promised to be the best Christmas meal yet. Half of the presents under the tree had been opened; the other gifts were being saved for later.

Giggling, CJ jumped up and ran towards the kitchen, leaving Jesse surrounded by parts of the game. He stayed on the floor for a few minutes, unsuccessfully trying to figure out how CJ's toy was supposed to fit together. Shrugging, the doctor stood up, making his way over to sit next to Steve. Steve smiled as Jesse placed his head on his shoulder.

"Having fun?"

"Yeah, it's even better than last Christmas."

"Better than Garth Brooks and the surfboard and me all to yourself?" Steve chuckled as Jesse's expression turned serious.

"Last year was good, but we're with family this year and then we get to go home tonight and I'll have you all to myself again." Jesse poked Steve in the ribs, jumping up out of reach as his lover tried to retaliate, "Ah ah, I'm going to see if my culinary skills are required."

"Oh no, baby, we don't all want a burnt Christmas dinner."

Jesse stuck his tongue out, "No nookie for you tonight, then."

"You don't mean that. You're just dying for me to-"

"And you can stop right there, son," Mark walked into the room, "The food's ready."

Steve stood and took a blushing Jesse by the hand, following behind his father as he made his way to the table where Amanda and the kids were already seated. As they ate, conversation flowed, talk turned to the hospital and Steve tuned out.

Looking around the table he thought back to last year; there had been a time when he'd thought they were never going to have this again. But, slowly, their small family had healed. Jesse's nightmares had become much less frequent, especially since Steve had promised him he would never take any risks. They'd gone to the Garth Brooks concert in March; it had been worth the money he'd paid to see how much Jesse had enjoyed himself. Best of all, his father had realised that he had no intention of giving Jesse up, and now proudly introduced them to anyone as 'my son and his partner.'

He watched as Mark patted Jesse's shoulder, as Jesse's face lit up as Amanda brought out dessert and he reached down into his pocket, felt the present he'd been saving for New Years. There would never be a better time: Jesse was happy, surrounded by his family. Opening his mouth, he interrupted the conversation without hesitation.

"Jess, marry me."


End file.
